


Our Minds Inside Ourselves

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Family, Band Manager Keith, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blow Jobs, Café, Determined Keith, Difficult Decisions, Diners, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Getting to Know Each Other, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Lance/Nyma (Voltron), Single Parent Lance McClain, Voltron Is A Band, broganes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-01 09:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Not much happened in the small diner/bar located in Sonoran Desert. So, needless to say when the hottest man that Lance McClain had ever lay eyes on walked through the doors, he was bound to make a fool of himself because, instead of paying attention to where he was going, he crashed into the island of the wrap around bar with his arms full of dishes."Lance is a single father raising his five-year-old daughter. Keith enters his life and turns his world upside down (as well as crushes his insecurities about finding love).





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith meet for the first time and Lance lands a date with his hot customer.

Not much happened in the small diner/bar located in Sonoran Desert. So, needless to say when the hottest man that Lance McClain had ever lay eyes on walked through the doors, he was bound to make a fool of himself because, instead of paying attention to where he was going, he crashed into the island of the wrap around bar with his arms full of dishes. Thankfully Iverson, the old man who had built the establishment from the ground up, had invested on plastic instead of ceramic dishes, or he would have had a major issue on his hands as the dishes clattered on the bar and floor.

He quickly recovered, pretending to have tripped over the rug that was settled between the bar and the entrance to the kitchen as the man raised a small brow at him before taking a seat in one of the empty booths.

_Nice going McClain,_ the Cuban man thought to himself as he stacked the plates on the island before pulling out his pad and making his way to the customer. “Welcome to Galaxy Garrison Diner  & Bar. What would you like today?” he asked with a confident smile, though his insides were rolling with nerves.

Up close the man was even more breathtaking. “I’ll take just a black coffee,” he replied, his voice smooth, deep, and with a small southern accent. Lance shivered as the man looked up at him with startling dark blue-grey eyes that seemed to turn a violet color when the light hit them just right.

Lance almost gasped at the way those eyes roamed over him, like the man was eyeing a piece of meat. “Um, you sure about that cowboy? Our breakfast special of eggs any way you like them along with toast and coffee is a hit in this place.”

The man smirked as he took in Lance’s offer. “Alright, I guess I’ll give it a try. Well scrambled please.”

Lance beamed as he wrote down the order and walked back to behind the counter, handing the order to his best friend and cook Hunk who was watching the exchange the entire time in the window. He gave the Cuban man a wolf-like grin as he said, “I must say he is pretty damn hot. Think he’s gay?”

Lance blushed and wished he could just ignore his best friend, but he knew the man would have nothing for it if he truly had his way. Lance used the mirror hanging near the kitchen partition to take in his customer again without looking suspicious. The man was lean, probably an inch or two shorter than Lance himself but seemed to pack a little more muscle than the Cuban man. He had thick black hair styled in a mullet (which for some reason Lance found quite striking on the man), thick dark eyebrows and pale skin with a scar on the right side of his face. Lance could tell the man probably had some Asian heritage in him because his eyes were slightly slanted. He was wearing a dark bluish gray t-shirt, which was covered by a red, white, and yellow jacket that stopped near his ribcage. The cuffs of the jacket were slightly large and rolled slightly up the man’s arms, revealing his fingerless black gloves.

Hunk rung the bell on the kitchen partition, indicating that the order was up. Grabbing the order, he replied to Hunk with a “Yup, probably,” before making his way back to his customer, placing the order on the table. “Here we go, one breakfast special made by the bestest friend in the entire world. _Comer hasta_!”

The man smirked again as he replied, “ _Gracias_.”

Lance felt his heart skip a beat. _A man after my own heart?_ “You’re very welcome. Just call me over if you need anything else. The name’s Lance.”

The man hummed. “Lance, huh? I like that name,” he commented before he began digging into his food, slightly moaning in appreciation.

Lance felt the blush erupt on his face as he made his way back to the counter, pulling up one of the barstools behind it and pulling it up to the kitchen window, sitting down before laying his head on the partition with a groan. “Oh my God, he’s hot,” he said to Hunk, who was cackling.

“You should totally give him your number. Cliché yes, but just write it on his receipt and give it to him with the signature McClain wink. I bet you he will be phoning you up in no time.”

“Hunk,” he hissed before looking over his shoulder to make sure their customer didn’t hear him.

“Don’t you hiss at me mister,” Hunk said, pointing the end of a knife in Lance’s direction as a threat. “When was the last time you got you any action?” Lance remained silent, making Hunk smirk in satisfaction. “I rest my case, buddy.”

“You know it’s not that easy…”

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Bro, he’s hot. You’re bisexual and he is probably gay. You would hit it off instantly.”

Lance sighed. “Again, it’s not that simple. A couple of years ago it would be no problem. Now it’s just complicated.” He leaned back up and rubbed his eyes.

Hunk frowned. “Rough night?” he asked sincerely.

Lance shrugged as he stretched, cracking his back with an appreciative moan. “Didn’t get much sleep with Ariel having nightmares all night. She would wake up screaming any time I left her alone.”

“Ouch.”

“I told Ronnie not to get her that stupid movie about aliens. Now she thinks, and I quote, ‘The purple aliens with the cat ears are going to come and destroy humanity’.” He turned in his seat to look at his customer again. He was absolutely Lance’s type. If it wasn’t for Ariel, Lance would have acted like his old teenage self and asked the man out with no worries.

He heard Hunk tsk before he heard the kitchen door swing open. “That does it,” the man said as he passed the counter and made his way to the man. The look on the man’s face as the heavyset brown-skinned man made his way to him was quite comical, and Lance would have laughed if he hadn’t been terrified of what his friend was about to do. The man’s massive body was part fat but mostly muscle. He was wearing an orange bandana to tie back his black hair and avoid his bangs from falling into his warm brown eyes. His bright yellow shirt was hidden by his white apron and his dark tan knee-length pants were covered in flour.

“C-Can I help you?” the customer asked as he looked to Lance for help.

Hunk rubbed his hands together. “Hi there, I’m Hunk. I cooked that delicious meal you’re cooking, and I hope you are enjoying it to the fullest. Now here’s the thing, my best friend over there,” he nodded his head in Lance’s direction, “seems to be wimping out on me now, but he thinks you’re like really hot and would love to go on a date with you.”

Lance felt the color drain from his face as he ran up to Hunk and grabbed his arm. “Hunk, _como pudiste_? Please just shut up,” he said in a panic before addressing his customer. “I am so sorry. My _amigo_ here doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, so please just ignore him!”

The man raised a brow as he looked at both men before directing his attention back to Lance. “Well, I could pretend to ignore what he just said, but only if what he was saying wasn’t true.”

Lance gulped as he released Hunk’s arm. “Um, what?”

“I’m not one to repeat myself,” the man said as he stood from his seat and held his hand out to Lance, who took it awkwardly after staring at him for a few seconds to long. “I’m Keith. If you friend was telling the truth, then I would love to pick you up at your place at eight tonight?”

“Eight?” Lance repeated, Keith still grasping his hand tightly as if he didn’t want to let go.

“That’s what I said,” Keith said with a smirk. “Write your number and address on my receipt and I’ll be there. Also, wear something causal since we’ll be doing something outdoors,” he added with a small wink before sitting back down and picking up his coffee, sipping on it as he watched Lance over the rim of the cup.

“Thank you, kind sir,” Hunk said as he took a stunned Lance back to the counter.

With a small sigh, he glared at his best friend, who only looked back at him with a smug look. “ _Te odio tanto_ ,” he mumbled.

“ _Solo hasta que te acuestes_ ,” Hunk replied, sticking his tongue out as he made his way back to the kitchen.

Lance couldn’t help the eye roll he gave his friend. 

* * *

“Ray are you sure you don’t mind?” Lance asked for what had to be the tenth time that evening as he took in his appearance in the mirror. His light brown skin flourished under the bathroom lighting as he finished applying just a little glitter to his skin. His had maned his short brown hair with just a little bit of gel. He had also applied a little bit of eyeliner to help his ocean blue eyes pop more. He was wearing his favorite light gray dress shirt with blue lining with his casual gray-brown jacket. He had decided to wear his favorite pair of ripped blue jeans and white sneakers that Ariel had highlighted with black and light blue accents.

His sister Rachel, who could be his spitting image if it wasn’t for the long hair and female anatomy, gave him an annoyed scowl as she replied, “For the final fucking time Lance, I think I am perfectly capable of watching my niece! I haven’t killed the others, have I?” She wacked him with the hairbrush she currently had in her hand.

“Ouch!” he said as he rubbed his arm. “Ariel, Tía Rachel hit me!” he called out.

“You probably deserved it Papi,” a little voice said as his five-year-old daughter came into view. Call him biased, but his daughter was the most beautiful of them all. Regretfully, the only thing she had inherited from him in the looks department was his eye color; everything else screamed her mother: long blonde hair that fell in waves a little past her waist, light unblemished skin with a speckle of freckles on her face. She was a little tall for her age, so more than likely she would inherit his height as she grew up. On the inside she was just like Lance: funny, witty, a little persuader when she wanted something, and loving. “Tía Rachel, will you do my hair tonight?” she asked with her big blue eyes.

“ _Dios mío_ , how can I say no to you?” Rachel asked her as she picked the little girl up, placing the little girl on her hip.

Lance leaned over and pecked her on the forehead, causing the little girl to erupt into giggles. “Alright _bebita_ , promise to behave for Rachel?”

“I promise Papi!”

“Thanks again Rachel. I know I asked for you to watch her at the last minute. Hopefully I won’t be out too late. I’ll have my phone one, so if you need me for _anything_ just call me. Her pediatrician’s number is on the counter next to the house phone. We had dinner before you came over, but if she wants a snack there are some sliced apples and honey in the refrigerator that she can have tonight-”

“ _Hermanito_?” Rachel said, pausing his torrent of words.

“ _Sí_?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo. Out of all the little ones we’ve got in our family, you would think you would remember that by now,” she commented with a laugh. “Go and have fun. I haven’t seen you let loose since Ariel was born. You deserve to have a break every once and a while.”

Lance smiled at his sister as an incoming text message alerted on his cell phone. He smiled as he read the message and quickly replied back.

**_From Keith:_ ** _I_ _’_ _m here._

**_To Keith:_ ** _Okay, I_ _’_ _ll be right down!_

“He here?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah. I’m gonna head down that way he doesn’t come up here. I wouldn’t want to spring something like having a daughter on the first date. It would have him running in the opposite direction.”

Rachel just rolled her eyes as she pushed her brother out the door.

* * *

“So, where are we going?” Lance asked Keith as he watched the traffic around them. They seemed to be going to a busy section of the city towards the large arena in the middle which usually held concerts or large sporting events. The traffic seemed to be a nightmare with its slow craw, but Keith was patient as they inched forward little by little.

“Well, I was going to make it a surprise, but seeing as I don’t know if you even like them, I guess I’ll just let it out,” Keith said as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a business card. “Do you know the band Voltron?”

Lance’s mouth fell open. “Do I know Voltron? Uh, DUH dude. They are like the best variety band I have even listened to. Hunk, his fiancé Shay, Ariel and I jam out to their music any time we can,” he replied, before realizing he had mentioned his daughter.

Keith didn’t seem to notice or if he did then didn’t mention it. “Well, maybe this will explain where we’re going,” he stated as he held the card out for Lance to grab.

Grabbing the card, Lance had to read it at least three times before the information sunk in.

**_Keith Kogane_ **

**_Co-Owner of Paladin Records / Songwriter / Voltron Band Manager_ **

**_Office: XXX-XXX-XXXX_ **

**_Cell: XXX-XXX-XXXX_ **

“No freaking way!” he squealed as he looked at his date. “Y-You’re part of Voltron!? Like what the hell dude!”

Keith look a little embarrassed as he rubbed his neck. “Yeah. I figured what better way to impress a first date than to take them to a concert.”

“ _Dios mío_ , Hunk is gonna kill me when he finds out!”

* * *

Lance was giddy with excitement as the group’s vocals blended together to give their best performance. Being obsessed with the band, he knew everything a fan could know about them.

First there was Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane and Adam Williams. Shiro was the main vocalist of the group as well as a guitar player, which Lance felt was incredible considering the man’s right arm was a prosthetic because he had lost his arm in a crash during his time in the Air Force. Adam, his husband of two years, was a backup vocalist and fellow guitar player. Allura Altean was the band’s strings expert, able to play most string instruments, and vocalist. Lastly there was Matthew “Matt” and Katie “Pidge” Holt. Matt played the drums and vocals while Pidge played the keyboard and vocals.

**_(Shiro)_ **

_Through ourselves we send a sign_

_But the message is our breaking_

_Pushing further in to fly_

_Now we're hoping that we'll make it_

_Now I'm not open to the dark_

_But this faith is going nowhere_

**_(Shiro & Adam)_ **

_Have I overrun my time or is mine overrun?_

****

**_(All)_ **

_Far beyond the universe_

_We find our minds inside ourselves_

****

**_(Shiro)_ **

_I have courage on my side_

_And strength within my soul_

_But I've never felt like this_

_As winter's growing cold_

_Will you stay with me a while?_

_I think I'm going deeper_

**_(Matt & Pidge)_ **

_Have I overrun my time or is mine overrun?_

**_(All)_ **

_Far beyond the universe_

_We find our minds inside ourselves_

_Far beyond the universe_

_We find our minds inside ourselves_

**_(Adam)_ **

_I don't know where we'll go_

_Now I know that it's over_

**_(Allura)_ **

_Light 'em up_

_Send it all into space_

_You will go now_

**_(Shiro & Matt)_ **

_I don't know where we'll go_

_Now I know that it's over_

**_(Allura & Pidge)_ **

_Light 'em up_

_Send it all into space_

_You will go now_

**_(All)_ **

_Far beyond our universe_

_We find our minds inside ourselves_

_Far_

_(I don't know)_

_Beyond_

_(Where we'll go)_

_Our universe_

_(Now I know that it's over)_

_We find_

_(Light 'em up)_

_Our minds_

_(Send it all)_

_Inside_

_(Into space)_

_Ourselves_

_(We will go now)_

Lance was beyond thrilled they had played this song. It was his all-time favorite song and loved singing it to Ariel, especially when the little girl was having trouble sleeping.

He looked over at Keith, who was watching Lance enjoy himself backstage as the band performed. The Cuban man was lit up with excitement which made Keith feel something stir inside him. He didn’t know why, but Lance felt special. He felt that maybe this man could be the one.

* * *

“So, I have to admit I had fun tonight, even if the band had your attention more,” Keith joked with a smile as he walked the Cuban man up to the steps of his apartment complex.

Lance nodded as he smiled shyly. It was true, he had had a blast with Keith. The man was so much fun to be around. Keith was the type of man that Lance could easily fall for if given the chance. But Lance knew it would be too difficult. He was twenty-six with an almost six-year-old at home. No way a man like Keith would be interested in him if he ever found out that fact. As much as he would have enjoyed being with Keith, he just didn’t see it happening.

“Well, I’d ask you in, but I have an early shift at the Galaxy Garrison tomorrow.” _And I have to wake up early enough to get Ariel up, get her lunch done, and get her off to preschool. Thank God my shift isn_ _’_ _t until nine tomorrow_.

“Ah,” Keith sighed with disappointment lacing his voice. “I understand.”

_If only you did,_ Lance thought to himself as he plastered a fake smile on his face. “I guess I’ll see you again sometime?” he asked as he opened the complex door.

Keith nodded. “Yeah. The Galaxy Garrison’s is really good. I might just drop by again for a meal sometime.”

_I really wish you wouldn’t._ “Thanks,” Lance he said instead before waving to the man and walking into his building. When he was out of Keith’s view, he allowed himself to break down and let the tears fall. Lance knew Keith was probably disappointed he had shot Keith down for anything else aside from their date, even after the amazing evening they had. Lance groaned in frustration; he wanted more with the mullet haired man, but he had to think about Ariel first and what it would do to her.

The thought of his daughter eased his pain and he climbed the stairs and entered his apartment quietly, seeing Rachel sitting in his leather recliner flipping through the TV channels.

“I’m home,” he said quietly, aware his daughter was probably sound asleep in her room.

Rachel turned off the TV before getting up and making her way to him. “Welcome back. Did you have a blast?”

“Yeah. How was Ariel?”

“An angel as always,” Rachel replied as she grabbed her bag. “If you need me to watch her again while you go out with Mister Hot Broody don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Thanks a lot, but I doubt I’ll see him again,” Lance replied with a sad smile.

Rachel frowned. “I’m sorry,” she said as she gave him a small hug.

“Don’t be,” Lance said as he walked Rachel to the door. “Tell everyone I love them?”

“Of course,” Rachel said, kissing him on the cheek. “Still coming over Friday for family dinner?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Lance raised a brow when the sound of his doorbell rang through the apartment. Ariel was sound asleep and Rachel knew better than to ring it this late at night. He used his buzzer to allow his sister back in before going to his hallway closet to hang up his jacket.

When he heard her enter, he said “What did you forget this time, Ray?” before turning, surprised when he found someone else aside from his sister standing in the doorway. “Keith?”

“Hey Lance,” Keith said with a small smile.

Lance joined him at the door. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he closed the front door.

“I had to come back…” Keith said before hesitating. He looked into Lance’s eyes until they shifted slightly before meeting them once again. “I had to come back to do this.”

He wrapped his hand around the base of Lance’s neck and pulled the man down slightly before pressing his lips firmly against the Cuban’s.

At the first touch of their lips, anything Lance had doubts about quickly flew out the window. His mantra of _No don_ _’_ _t let him in! Things will get too complicated! Never ever ever give into temptation! Think about sweet little Ariel!_ didn’t matter as Keith’s smooth lips pressed against his own. Lance felt a shiver run down his spine as he wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling the man closer to him.

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist, making the man gasp as he felt the man’s lower body press against his own. At the gasp, Keith caught the man’s bottom lip and sucked it between his own, making Lance react to the touches and kisses more than he was willing to admit. It had been so long since he had been kissed, _touched_ , like this, and he was craving it more and more as they continued.

“K-Keith,” he moaned as he tried to pull back, but Keith was relentless and attacked the Cuban man with his mouth again, running his kisses and tongue against any piece of skin he could get his mouth on.

Lance wrapped his fingers in the fringe of the man’s mullet, tangling them in the silky strands and pulling on the hair slightly. As the man traveled farther down his neck, Lance tilted his head to allow Keith more access, moaning slightly when the man began sucking in certain places and causing his arousal to go into overdrive.

When Keith grabbed Lance’s leg and hitched it over his hip, Lance could feel Keith press their hips together and realized the man was just as aroused as he was. The man’s erection was pressing against his own as the shorter man rolled their hips together, and he blushed and shivered at he imagined that erection giving him attention in another place of his body.

Keith surged forward to kiss Lance once more, making the Cuban moan in appreciation as he allowed Keith’s tongue to enter his mouth.

From the hallway, Lance picked up on a shuffling noise before a little voice called, “Papi?”

Lance immediately pushed Keith away, causing the paler man to gasp slightly as Lance turned his attention to the little girl that was standing in the hallway, rubbing her eyes with one hand while she clutched a rainbow-colored lion with the other.

Lance took a calming breath before holding out his arms to the little girl. “Ariel, baby, what are you doing out of bed?” Ariel made her way to Lance and wrapped his arms around his neck as he stood back up with her in his arms, running a hand through her hair. “You should be asleep.”

She pouted at her father. “You never got to read me my bedtime story.”

“I do believe Tía Rachel read you one, didn’t she?” Lance asked, finally taking a chance and looking at Keith. He chewed on his bottom lip as the man looked between Lance and Ariel in confusion.

“She’s not you. You make the best voices and impressions Papi, you know that.”

“Alright _dulce niña_ , here’s a deal. One story, then you must go to sleep. We’ve got an early start in the morning,” Lance said after a few moments, relenting at his little girl’s wishes.

Ariel smiled wide as she bounced in his arms. “Deal,” she said before finally noticing Keith standing not far from them. “H-Hi,” she said with a little wave of her hand.

“Um, hello,” Keith returned the wave and gave her a small smile.

Lance finally turned his full attention to Keith, a wave of disappointment coursing through him as he realized it had happened, Keith had found out the truth. He couldn’t hide it anymore.

Keith stared back at Lance, not talking, arms crossed against his chest. After a few moments, he glanced around at the apartment, probably wondering what he should be doing now.

Lance heaved a sigh as he pointed to the small loveseat centered next to his armchair. “Um, I guess make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

After Keith nodded, Lance walked into his daughter’s room and placed Ariel back into bed. He hoped by the time he was done Keith would have disappeared, allowing the Cuban man to be spared from what would be an extremely awkward conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries to convince Keith that he isn't the one that should be pursued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another update! This is mostly written (aka drafted) so I'm working on bringing each chapter together. My goal is to post on my days off (usually Thursdays/Sundays), so expect at least 1 chapter a week ;)

Lance was astonished that even after thirty minutes of staying in his daughter’s room, he found Keith leisurely relaxing on his loveseat reading one of Ariel’s magazines that was left out on the table. “You’re still here?” he asked in confusion as he made his way to his chair, angling it towards the man. He had not been looking forward to what was to be an awkward conversation, knowing exactly how it would turn out in the end: him spilling everything to Keith and afterwards the man leaving, like all of those before him that had entered Lance’s life.

Keith arched a brow at the Cuban man. “You were the one who told me to make myself comfortable?” he questioned.

“Well yeah, I was just trying to be nice,” Lance said, crossing his arms in a huff. “I figured you were going to leave while I got her in bed or something.”

“Why would I leave?” Keith asked, giving him what seemed to be a confused look.

Lance sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes, trying to decide how he would start this conversation. Apparently, it was up to him to give his date the easy way out, since Keith was either too stupid or too kind to try to jump out of this himself. “Listen Keith, if you want to leave you can. In fact, you can just forget this whole thing between us ever happened. I’m a _gran chico_ , so I won’t be mad or hurt. I enjoyed our time together, but I know when to call it quits.”

“What if I don’t want to leave?”

Lance was not expecting that question to come from the man. “Oh?” he questioned as he settled further into his chair. “If you don’t want to leave, then what _do_ you want?”

Keith tapped his fingers together before replying, “Maybe we can just finish what we started earlier?” he asked in what seemed to be a flirtatious tone.

Lance was flabbergasted and knew he looked like a fish with the way his mouth dropped at the suggestion.

Keith smirked in satisfaction. “Or,” he said as he scooted to the edge of the loveseat, drawing himself closer to the Cuban man, “Maybe you would like to explain to me how you have a daughter and you failed to mention her at all this entire evening? I mean, I heard you say her name earlier, but I had assumed she was another friend, co-worker, or a sibling?”

“…It’s not like I did it on purpose,” Lance replied with a pout as he crossed his legs.

“Oh really?” Keith questioned as he stood up and walked over the Lance, squatting down so he could see into Lance’s blue eyes. “How about you not lie to me, please? Think about it. You came downstairs to me, meaning you didn’t want me coming up here to pick you up. When we gave each other snippets about ourselves earlier this evening you _never_ mentioned her. And lastly, you didn’t invite me back to your place even though you clearly want me, but couldn’t because you were afraid I would see her. So, for once don’t lie to me and tell me _why_.”

Lance felt his hands shaking. “Um…I…”

Keith grabbed the man’s trembling hands, running his thumbs over the Cuban’s knuckles. “Were you afraid I would run away from you?” Keith questioned him after few moments of silence.

Lance nodded as he felt tears begin to well in his eyes. “Y-Yes,” he answered as he pulled his hands away from Keith, folding his legs in so he was sitting in his chair with his arms wrapped around them.

Keith sighed. “Well, it looks like I’m still here,” he said as he made himself comfortable sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. “So, what’s the story? I will admit I’m curious how you ended up with a kid?”

Lance scowled. “What does it matter to you?” he asked with a harsh tone. “I mean, I know now that you have uncovered my dirty little secret, you’ve realized I’m not just some guy you can have a little romp in the hay with whenever you want. I beg of you, please just spare me the pain and misery and just leave before I get my hopes up!”

Keith seemed to hesitate just a moment before he reached out to grab the man’s arms, the Cuban man tensing, as he pulled the man from his chair and maneuvered him into his lap, wrapping the man’s long legs around his own hips as he placed his hands on Lance’s hips. “I’m not stepping one foot out that door. And in this position now I can’t. Problem solved.”

Lance sighed as he put his hands on the man’s shoulders. “But it will happen,” Lance said briefly, biting his lip before continuing, “Every single person I have ever let in my life romantically always does. And the sad thing is it isn’t just _my_ life anymore. When Ariel was younger it was one thing, but now that she is older she gets attached too easily. If I let someone in and that happens, I would be the one picking up the pieces of both her and my hearts.” He pushed at the man’s shoulders, so Keith would release him before standing and folding himself back up in his chair.

“Ah, so you’ve had some bad experiences in the past?”

Lance barked with laugher and an eye roll.

Keith grimaced before he sighed. He needed to do this slowly or Lance would want him to leave. “Listen, I get it. It can be hard to let someone in. I know that from my own past experiences.” He fidgeted with his fingers as he let the words Shiro always say roam his mind. _Patience yields focus_. “If you really want it, I can leave, and you never have to see me again,” he offered as he stood up and looked down to lance with what had to be his most heartbroken expression. “I’d like a chance though, to prove myself to you.”

Keith turned and began walking towards the door, but he stopped when Lance started speaking. “I had just turned twenty-one…” Keith hadn’t turned around yet, but he nodded his head to indicate he was listening. “I was in my third year of college. During my college experience, I was pretty tame compared to the other students so I didn’t do things that I would regret. I had these two friends at the time that had found out that though I was super confident and had no filter when it came to my flirting, it had been all a façade. I was still a virgin.”

At this point Keith had turned around and given Lance a small smile. Lance waved his hand back to the loveseat. He waited until Keith had sat back down and given the Cuban man his full attention before he continued. “Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to have sex, but my mother raised all her kids to respect themselves and not push it, it would happen when it happened. She said we would _know_ when we were ready for that next step with the right person. But I was tired, Keith. All my friends were settling into their lives easily, they had already had sex and were open about their sexualities and tastes. I wanted to be just like them. I wanted that burden dangling over my head finally gone. So, my two friends offered to help me.”

“And one of them was Ariel’s mother?” Keith asked after a few seconds of hesitation.

“Yup,” Lance replied. “My friends Rolo and Nyma. I knew them after I started college. I will admit, they weren’t the greatest friends to actually have. Firstly, they had an open relationship, so even though they were seeing each other, _living_ with each other, they still sought out others sexually as well. Secondly, Rolo was into partying, and when I say partying I mean partying hard. He was into drinking and very serious drugs.” Keith frowned at this. “Yeah. The night I lost my virginity, he had convinced me to get high and drunk. So, after a few beers and smoking a crap load of pot, Nyma convinced me to sleep with her. It was…weird, even weirder by the fact that Rolo _watched_ us as we did it. I’m so glad we only did it once.” Lance shivered.

“Not what you were expecting?”

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, that about sums it up. I refused to touch her, hell I couldn’t even look her in the face and not once did I ever look at Rolo. I would _never_ do that willingly again.”

“And so, she got pregnant?”

Lance nodded as he angled himself in his chair to look at Keith. “Yeah. That part is the most laughable of all. I had asked both of them if they had protection before we had started, and they assured me they had, but once we were all too high to think straight she forgot about making sure to use it.”

Keith frowned. “That was irresponsible on their end, if they trusted you with that…”

“It was my fault just as much as theirs. Anyways, about a month after that happened, they came up to me and told me she was pregnant, and it was mine. They never have unprotected sex, they didn’t want kids of their own. At first, I didn’t believe them and tried to ignore them. It was already awkward enough between us after that, but after she began to show I couldn’t just sit by and ignore it. She got huge so quickly. Women are so fascinating, being able to do something as incredible as carry a child.”

Keith nodded. “I agree.”

“Nyma wanted to give our baby up for adoption. I had been fine with that, I mean I was barely an adult and hadn’t finished college yet!” He huffed as he crossed his arms. “I had a dream of getting a degree in psychology geared towards children and teens. I wanted to help kids that needed help in either my own office setting or at a hospital, so having a baby wasn’t exactly going to mix in well with those plans.” He lay his head on the back of his chair and closed his eyes, a peaceful smile making its way on his face. “But then, Nyma went into labor.”

He opened his eyes to see Keith looking at him intently, wrapped up into his story. “I don’t know why, but when Rolo had texted me I rushed to the hospital to see them. She was so beautiful Keith…”

* * *

_“Mister McClain, would you like to hold your little miracle?” one of the nurses asked him as she held the littlest baby he had ever seen in his arms._

_Lance jumped in surprise. “C-Can I?” he asked. He had waited in the waiting room while Rolo stayed with Nyma while she gave birth, Lance making it a little too late to the hospital._

_“But of course you can! You are the baby’s daddy!” she said cheerfully as she instructed Lance on how to sit and hold his arms. Once she deemed him ready, she placed the bundle of joy into his arms. “Congratulations. You have a healthy baby girl!”_

_Lance looked down at the small baby in his arms. “She’s so tiny,” he observed._

_The nurse nodded. “She’s right at six points and around fifteen inches. That’s what happens with these types of births.”_

_Lance looked up at her. “What do you mean?” he asked._

_The nurse gasped. “Oh my honey, you don’t know?”_

* * *

“What happened?” Keith asked as Lance paused in his memory, a swell of tears breaching the Cuban’s eyes.

Lance wiped his eyes with the collar of his shirt. “Nyma had preeclampsia that ended up turning into eclampsia. I didn’t know until after, but apparently she hadn’t been telling Rolo or I about the symptoms she was having. She experienced issues with stomach pain and swelling in her hands and face but ignored it because she thought it was part of the pregnancy and it would improve with time. The night Ariel was born, Nyma ended up having a seizure as she was being rushed to the hospital. They had to perform an emergency cesarean, which ended up complicating her health even more. She slipped into a coma during the operation and began to hemorrhage…”

Keith gulped. “Did she…”

Lance nodded. “Two hours after Ariel was born she died on the operating table as they tried to fix the damage.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Rolo took it harder than I did. He ended up going into a rampage and had to be detained by the local authorities. Took a couple of hospital guards down before they could get the handcuffs on him. He ended up in jail for a few days, getting out just in time for Nyma’s funeral.”

Keith scratched at his neck. “Do you ever see him?”

Lance shook his head. “Nah, not since I quit school. After everything was said and done, I went home to my family to figure out what I could do. I mean, I was a dad! I had another life to support, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone. My mom practically demanded I return home until we could figure things out. We actually moved here about two years ago after I got a steady job that worked around me taking care of her.”

“How did you end up naming her Ariel?” Keith asked in interest

Lance actually blushed. “Well, that’s because I always loved _The Little Mermaid_ …”

Keith seemed confused. “Isn’t Ariel in the movie a redhead?” he asked.

Lance gawked at the man. “Oh, how dare you insult me _mi hombre_!” he exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart. “I’ll have you know in the original story she was a blonde.”

Keith raised his hands in defense. “Well excuse me, oh great one, I didn’t know that.”

Lance stuck out his tongue. “Anyways, she became my new dream. Hell, she still is. I would do anything for her.”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but from what you told me earlier about your family you seem to have a great support system.”

“Yeah,” Lance said as he sat back up in his chair. “So, has your curiosity been satisfied?” Keith looked a little taken aback at the question but nodded nonetheless. “Now do you understand why I don’t spring my _hijita_ on the first date now?” he asked with a sad voice.

Keith was sure Lance was still convinced he was going to bolt. “I wouldn’t have left, you know? I’m not like normal guys…”

“Uh huh, sure you aren’t,” Lance said with an eye roll. “I know if you knew about Ariel you would have never asked me out on a date.”

Keith glowered. “Well, don’t get me wrong, when Hunk forced himself on me, I admit I wasn’t expecting to have a great evening with you and then abruptly find out you have a daughter.” He internally chuckled at Lance’s embarrassment and the muttering under his voice in Spanish, catching something along the lines of having a ‘meddlesome best friend’, if his limited Spanish was correct. “But that doesn’t stop me from liking you Lance.” He stood from his seat, standing above Lance and running a finger across the man’s chin. “And I told you, I had fun with you, prior to meeting Ariel.” He paused as he thought about his next words. “Though, her catching us making out was a little embarrassing and a total boner killer. But we’d be careful next time.”

Lance sighed as he closed his eyes. “You just don’t get it Keith.”

“What don’t I get?” Keith asked with an annoyed tone. “So what if you have a daughter? I’m not horrible with kids.”

Lance met Keith’s eyes. “I can’t just keep hanging around you! For us to be able to go on our date today I had to ask my sister Rachel to watch Ariel. I mean, she loves doing it anyways with all the little ones in our family, but it’s not like I can ask her to do that all the time. And I honestly don’t want to. The time I spend with my daughter is the greatest times I have in my life. She is _everything_ to me.” The Cuban man sighed sadly as he stood from his seat, so he was standing along with Keith. “I know your type. You are probably looking for someone to have a wild and adventurous relationship with. I can’t do anything like that. Anything that I do has to have Ariel figured into it. If Hunk hadn’t ambushed you the way he did I would have _never_ agreed to go on a date with you.”

“I don’t think you understand me at all, with all the assumptions you are making,” Keith said as he wrapped a finger into the hole of one of Lance’s belt loops and pulling the Cuban man flush against his body. “I’m not looking for ‘wild and adventurous’, as you put it. I genuinely like you Lance. I want to get to know the true you…and Ariel. I’m willing to give this a try Lance. Can’t you just shut up and trust me?”

“I wish I could Keith,” Lance said as he shook his head in sorrow. “What happens if I let you in? You’ll last maybe a month and then you’ll regret this and decide you don’t want to play house with us anymore! You’re still young, you could go out and live to see the world? Don’t you know what happens if you leave? It won’t be only me that is heartbroken. Ariel would be as well. When she meets someone and gets to know them, it’s the end. She will cling to them. It’s already bad enough she has seen you, she’ll have at least a thousand questions for me in the morning.” Lance sighed as he lay his head on Keith’s shoulder, inhaling the man’s scent. He smelled of sandalwood and what seemed to be a slight musk of cologne. “I really want to give you a chance Keith. Truly I do…but I just can’t. I can’t take the risk.”

Keith shook his head as he lifted Lance’s chin, pulling the man close and pressing his lips against Lance’s in a burning kiss before pulling back, quickly enough to where Lance had no room to react. “Tell you what Lance, I’ll leave for now. It seems right now you are refusing to see my point of view, but I’m not giving up on you,” he whispered in the man’s ear, Lance shivering, before pulling away from the Cuban man. “I do know where you work, and I have to eat sometime tomorrow.” And with that, he winked at Lance and walked out of the apartment, leaving Lance to collapse against the wall, breathing heavily as his mind caught up with him.

After catching his breath, he huffed with laughter despite his better judgment at the situation. He tried imagining Keith in his and Ariel’s life. He found it funny that the man wanted to give it a try, despite everything Lance tried to do to dissuade him.

Sooner or later, Keith would realize that what Lance could offer would not be something he wanted after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me comments/kudos if you enjoy this :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariel has questions, Lance and Keith talk some more and Lance makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day late, but hey here it is!

Lance held his daughter’s favorite blue dress with small white dots. “Hands up _señorita_.” Once the dress pulled over his daughter before he picked her up and sat her on the bathroom counter and grabbed her hairbrush. “What are we doing today with the rat’s nest?”

Ariel giggled as she tapped her chin to ponder what she wanted. “I want a bun!” she exclaimed after a few moments.

“Sounds good,” he replied as he brushed through her tangles.

As he was collecting her hair to begin wrapping, she looked up into her father’s eyes. “Hey Papi?”

“Yes, _mi hermosa hija_?”

“Who was that man kissing you last night?”

Lance dropped her hair in surprise. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew that was about to come up, but he was hoping she would have been too sleepy to remember. Apparently not.

“He’s Papi’s new friend.”

Ariel pondered that for a moment. “Then why were you kissing him, if he is a new friend?” she asked she looked up at him with _his_ wondering eyes.

Lance grimaced as he collected her hair again and finished wrapping her hair into a bun. “There you go honey,” he said as he picked her up and eased her back to the floor.

She held onto his fingers as he ran a comb through his hair with his other hand. “Will I get to see him again Papi?”

Lance internally screamed on the inside. He had wished she would have stopped questioning him after he ignored the last one. _She is my daughter though. Stubborn as a mule_.

“Possibly,” he answered, because he honestly wasn’t too sure. He needed to distract her, and fast. He didn’t want his daughter to get his hopes up for them only to be crushed. “Say, want to pick out what I wear today?”

“Oh yes!” she said excitingly as she ran to his room, pulling him along. She pushed him to his bed as she rummaged through his closet. “Hey Papi?”

“ _Sí_?”

She came out with one of his favorite t-shirts and a pair of khaki pants. “If I ever see your friend again, do you think he would let me brush his hair?”

Lance couldn’t help the snort that came out as he pulled on his pants. “Why?”

“It looked all messy,” she answered as Lance leaned down to allow his daughter to help him put the t-shirt on, his heart fluttering at the sight of her proud smile. “I think if his hair stays messy like that it would be hard for him to gets all the tangles out. It hurts when I have them.”

Lance squeezed his daughter. “So considerate. But that’s called a mullet, baby girl. It’s supposed to look that way,” he said as he stood back up, bringing her along with him. She wrapped her little legs around his waist as he walked to the kitchen. “What do you want for breakfast today?”

“Cereal!”

He nodded as he sat her in her chair before going and pouring her some Raisin Bran Crunch. He placed it in front of her as he inhaled a cup of coffee.

“Can I have some more milk?” she asked.

“Nope,” he replied with a shake of his head. “The last time I gave you more milk you ruined your favorite princess dress.”

“You could always buy me a new one,” she countered, sticking her tongue out before taking a bite of her cereal.

“True, but not going to happen. You still have plenty of dresses,” Lance replied as he gulped down his coffee. Once he had was done with that he nibbled on some crackers. “You were the one who decided you were a big girl now and no longer wanted anything covering you while you eat. If you want more milk, then I’m putting a dishtowel on you. Ready for that?”

Ariel shook her head with a pout.

* * *

“I still hate you,” Lance told Hunk as he walked behind the counter to grab his apron.

“No, you don’t. You love me. Need me to help you stock up on condoms, my man?” Hunk joked as he slipped the apron over his shirt and tied it in the back.

Lance rolled his eyes. “No thanks, asshole.”

Hunk barked with laughter as he grabbed a stool and sat on it. “So, I want details. How was the date? Did you get laid?”

“Hunk!” Lance exclaimed as he whirled around and pressed his back against the counter. Thankfully there were no customers in the diner now or they would think he was trying to cause a scene.

Hunk gave him a pout. “Come on buddy.”

Lance groaned into his hand. “It was…fine.”

“Just fine?” Hunk didn’t believe him. Lance had texted him the night before about their date (which he was still extremely jealous about because, come on, Lance go to see the _Voltron_ in action at a concert. Man, he was so lucky!).

Lance relented after taking one look at Hunk’s expecting eyes. Damn him and those eyes that made him spill anything with just one look. “Fine, it was great. He was a true gentleman that gave me an amazing time.”

“Ha! I win!” Hunk said as he wiggled in the stool some. “The moment he walked in I just knew he would be your type!”

Lance couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Yeah, everything was fine and dandy…until he found out about Ariel.”

Hunk stopped. “What do you mean? Ariel’s adorable! Who wouldn’t love that cute little face?”

Lance sighed as he threw his arms up in the air. “Hunk think about it. Not many men want to date someone else with a child. I told you that the last time you tried to hook me up with that one guy.” He hopped on the counter and swung his legs. “I mean, he didn’t react badly to meeting her and the discussion we had last night was actually not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I tried talking him out on wanting to see me again, but he’s a stubborn ass and refused to listen to me.”

“Then what’s the problem buddy?”

“I don’t know,” Lance exhaled. “Well, he said something about dropping by again today and look, he isn’t here. So, I guess he changed his mind about me anyways.” He shrugged to show he was fine with that, but he knew all he was doing was putting on an act. He had really wanted to see if Keith was truly serious about how he felt about him. “I think it’s a good thing though.” He looked up to Hunk, but instead of the sympathetic look his friend usually gave him when he was pouring his heart out about failed conquests, he found the man smirking instead. “What?”

“Jeez Lance. Give a guy a chance before you start word babbling to someone else.”

Lance slipped off the counter in surprise as he turned around fast, making his head spin. “K-Keith?”

The man in question smiled at him. “I had to help the band out this morning with some of their recordings, but since you told me last night you generally get off at five on weekdays, I figured I could come in before then to see you. So, I’m just going to sit where I was yesterday,” he explained as he made his way to the table he occupied the day prior. “Is there an extra charge to have you exclusively?” he asked with an innocent quirk of his head.

“I’m sure y’all can work something out,” Hunk bellowed out as he stood from his seat and making his way to the kitchen.

Lance groaned in embarrassment. “Hunk, _cállate_!” he yelled before grinning at Keith. “Um, one sec and I will take your order.” 

* * *

“Lance, you should totally go and sit with him,” Hunk mock whispered as Lance hung out with him at the kitchen window.

“Can’t, working,” Lance protested with a glare directed at his best friend.

“Don’t give me that crap,” Hunk said with a smirk. “There are no other customers here aside from ‘Hot and Broody’. Take your fifteen-minute break. You never do it to begin with, so why not start now!”

Lance bit his lip and glanced at Keith who was stirring his tea in his glass. He grinned when he caught Lance staring and winked, making Lance turn his head away and blush.

“Take this!” Hunk ordered as he pushed the largest piece of chocolate cake towards Lance that the Cuban man had ever seen. “Time for lunch! Go share it with lover boy over there.”

Lance groaned but relented, getting up and joining Keith at the table.

“Why hello there,” the mullet haired man said as Lance took the seat across from him, giving him a blinding smile.

“Hi,” the man said shyly as he positioned the cake between them. “On the house. Want to help me eat it?”

Keith nodded his head as he cut into the cake and shoved it towards Lance’s face. Lance huffed as he rolled his eyes but took the bite anyways. Keith speared himself off a piece and took a bite himself, giving an appreciate moan. “Damn that’s great.”

Lance couldn’t stop the shift had made in his seat as he heard the moan. His mind wandered to last night when Keith had made that exact same noise as they made out.

Keith noticed the shift and smirked. “Why Lance, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Nope. No way,” Lance protested, a small blush covering his face. _Crap._

“Ha! I totally am,” Keith concluded, chuckling as he crossed his hands over his chest and leaned back. “I bet you are thinking all about last night. You made me so hot with the way you were making those noises as you were practically humping me-”

“KEITH!” Lance yelled in embarrassment as he looked to the kitchen window, his eyes landing on a smiling Hunk who was practically dying with their conversation.

“Oops,” Keith noticed the chef looking in their direction and smiled sheepishly before cutting another piece of cake and giving it to Lance as an apologetic gesture. “I swear I’ll behave. I forgot where we were for a moment there.”

Lance took the bite and chewed it before asking, “Why are you here anyways? I thought I told you this was pointless.”

“And I thought I told you I wasn’t giving up on you,” Keith quipped back. “What’s it gonna take for you to get it through that thick head Lance? I really like you, and I know it’s mutual. You’re just being a scaredy cat.”

“Okay first, _you_ are the one with the thick head,” Lance argued. “And of course I’m scared! I have Ariel to think about!”

“Lance…” Keith sighed, defeated at the man’s insistence. “Why can’t you just get it? I like kids, hell I’m actually good with them given time. If I hadn’t went into the music business with Shiro and the others I would have become a teacher or pediatrician…” Lance went to protest, but Keith held up a hand. “No, let me finish. I know you have this twisted mind that thinks all I’m in this for is to have some fun and then forget about you. Lance, I’m twenty-seven and not getting any younger. I might still be young in some standards, but I’m not into one-night stands or small flings, never have been. I want a long-term relationship. And, quite frankly, I want to try it with you if you’d just give me the freaking chance.”

Lance stared at him, his face void of any emotion. He let the words sink in. He could tell Keith was being honest. The man was wonderful so far and he didn’t know why he kept fighting him on this. Keith was the first man to truly want to pursue something with him, even after finding out about Ariel.

“Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready to jump in and immediately want to ‘play house’ as they call it right away,” he said a little jokingly, causing Lance to laugh. “But all I want is a chance to show you how serious I am.”

Lance bit his lip as he contemplated his next words. “I have family night dinner Friday with the rest of my family. Ariel is spending the night with my parents this weekend since her cousins, my brother’s kids, will be as well…”

Keith raised a brow. “Okay?”

“The Saturdays she stays with my parents, I work ten to six,” Lance said with a small smile. “Before I let you in Ariel’s life, I want to get to know _you_ better.”

“I can agree with that.”

Lance took his order pan and wrote down his schedule for the rest of the week. He had Keith the paper before standing up. “I have to get back to work.”

Keith looked at the paper with a smile before standing up and winking at Lance. “Guess I’ll see you Saturday?”

* * *

Lance walked up to Keith. “Do we have a couple of minutes?” he asked the man who was playing with the ice in his glass of ice water.

“Of course, why?” Keith asked the man as he gestured to Lance to sit in the seat across from him. Lance still couldn’t believe that, though their date was today, Keith had still come the day before “just wanting some breakfast” and then two hours before Lance got off today “just for some more cake”. Lance had rolled his eyes at the insane man, but secretly he loved the attention he was getting from him.

“I told Ariel I would give her a call as soon as I got off work to tell her hi and goodnight,” Lance explained as he took a seat, glad that he was able to finally sit down after a long day.

Keith smiled as he grabbed Lance’s hand and intertwined his fingers as Lance dialed a number on his phone and waited for the line to pick up. “Hey Papi. Can I talk to Ariel?...Hey baby girl!”

“HI PAPI!” Keith heard the little girl say excitingly. He chuckled at her  enthusiasm.

“How are you?...I’m good, just got off of work…You did! I bet that was fun…Are you being good?...Good girl, I knew you would be…I love you too sweetie…Make sure to behave. I’ll pick you up around seven tomorrow…I know baby, but I don’t get off until six…I miss you to, but Papi has to work to feed his little munchkin. But hey, I’m off next Saturday so we have the whole day to ourselves!...That sounds like a plan. Papi has to go now, but I’ll be there before you know it!...Love you too. Goodnight!” Lance sighed as he ended the call and sniffed a little. “Okay, I’m ready now. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t even start,” Keith said as they waved to Hunk before walking outside into the cool brisk air. “You miss her, huh?” he commented after a couple of moments of silence.

Lance sniffed again. “Yeah. I’m just so used to her being with me every day. It feels weird when I have seen her in more than a day. I mean, it works well for me since I can get in more hours and the weekends do pay more, but…” He trailed off.

Keith surprised him by pulling Lance into his arms, rubbing his back soothingly. “Hey, don’t get upset. I know it’s hard,” he consoled the Cuban man.

Lance took deep calming breaths as he allowed himself to relax in Keith’s arms. “I-I’m sorry, but I just miss her so much…”

“It’s okay.”

“No it’s not!” Lance protested. “We’re supposed to have a nice date and get to know each other more! Instead my ass is crying in your arms complaining that I miss my daughter!”

“Lance,” Keith said in a soothing tone as he pulled back so he could look at the man in the eyes. “It’s perfectly fine that you miss Ariel. It’s natural.” Lance’s bottom lip quivered as he gave the man a teary smile. “Now, we can stand here going back and forth all evening, or we can make enjoy the remaining of the day we have left. I know I won’t be able to make you forget, but I will try to make this night as nice as possible.”

Lance nodded as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “Okay. I’m ready.”

“Atta boy.”

* * *

Lance looked up at the building Keith had pulled up to. “So let me get this straight…this is where you _live_?”

Keith chuckled as he nodded, hopping off the bike as he made his way up the steps with Lance following close behind.

“Keith Kogane!” Lance exclaimed with a hand to his heart. “We haven’t even had a second date and you’re already trying to bring me to your home?”

“Dumbass,” Keith laughed as he grabbed Lance’s hand and pulled the father into the apartment.

“Wow…this place is amazing,” Lance commented as he took a look around. The apartment was at least three times larger than his own. He could see a large kitchen with all the latest gadgets and all steel appliances that he could imagine his family loving and his mother enjoying her time there cooking large meals for her huge family. The living room was large and spacious with a nice assortment of furniture. Past the living room as a large balcony that seemed to be the perfect place to sunbathe. It was Lance’s dream apartment, if only he could be able to afford something like that. He glanced at the small park directly across the street, thinking Ariel would love to live somewhere like this where she had access to a park whenever she wanted to play.

Keith scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Uh, thanks. Um, please sit down and get comfortable,” he said as he gestured towards a large couch. He stepped foot in the kitchen and came back a few minutes later, two plates piled with a few slices of pizza. “Um, I hope you like pizza? It’s homemade.”

Lance accepted the plate and looked down at it with a sad expression. “Thanks.”

“Oh no,” Keith said with a frown. “What’s wrong? Pizza no good?”

“No no no no no!” Lance protested. “I love pizza! Just ignore me.”

“Lance,” Keith sighed heavily. “You promised to give this a chance. Please don’t lie to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I really shouldn’t.”

Keith rolled his eyes as he finally joined the man on the couch. He poked the man in the side with his elbow. “Spill it!”

Lance couldn’t help the eye roll as he replied, “…Ariel would be _so mad_ at me if she knew I was eating homemade pizza right now.”

“Ah, a girl after my own heart. She likes pizza?” Keith asked, filing the information away for the future.

Lance nodded as he finally took a bite. “Big time, especially when it’s homemade. If I wasn’t so tired after work I would have enough energy and time to make it for her more often.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I keep messing up our date…”

“How?” Keith asked around a mouthful of pizza.

Lance looked sheepish. “Because I keep talking about my daughter.”

“Who cares?” Keith asked with a shrug. “Ariel is a part of your life, a part of who you are. I would be more concerned if you didn’t bring her up.”

Lance looked at Keith with a small smile and wonder filled eyes. How did he get so lucky to meet a man like him?

“There is plenty left, so take some home with you. I mean, nothing beats it fresh. But it’s still pretty damn good.”

Lance shook his head. “Wait, what?” he asked in confusion, mind processing what Keith had said.

“The pizza,” Keith replied as he finished the rest of his slices. “There is still plenty left. I made too much, since I didn’t know how much you would eat. Take some home with you for Ariel.”

“I couldn’t…”

“You can and you will. Ariel likes pizza, I have spare pizza. End of discussion. NO protesting,” Keith finalized, leaving the conversation with no further room for debate. “Now, I remember you saying you love Voltron and haven’t seen many of our shows. So, I decided why not watch one of the DVDs that was recorded for our concert we had last October for breast cancer awareness? It was a hell of a concert,” he proposed, gesturing to his large flat screen television mounted on the wall across from them.

“You have a DVD of a concert? Voltron’s concerts are rarely recorded!” Lance said in astonishment as Keith turned on the television and DVD player.

Keith grinned. “I talked Shiro into letting us record _some_ of our concerts, just in case. I have one for a concert we held last month as well that we can watch tonight.”

“How do you and Shiro know each other? I know you co-own Paladin Records…”

“Shiro and I are like brothers,” Keith said as Lance began nibbling on his pizza. “It started out as a Big Brother kinda thing when I was ten. I was a little troublemaker and my mom and dad didn’t know what else to do with me. So, the school recommended I get a ‘Big Brother’ that might be able to help. At first, I thought it was ridiculous. But when I met Shiro and got to know him we just kinda clicked. We started hanging out all the time and he would do things with me that he didn’t need to, and later on he introduced me to Adam, who he had been dating since they were fifteen. They were like my role models after that and helped me come to terms with my sexuality. By the time I was fourteen we practically told everyone we were family. Which was fine with Mom and Dad since they began seeing Shiro and Adam as sons as well.”

“Oh, I see,” Lance said as he placed his plate on the table next to Keith’s before beginning to relax so they could watch the DVD. He felt Keith shuffle and move behind him so Lance’s back was against Keith’s chest and the man’s arms were wrapped around his waist. “Uh oh. Are you the cuddle whore type?”

Keith ducked his head shyly. “Maybe. Would it bother you?”

“Not one bit,” lance replied and allowed his boy to relax against Keith, allowing his mind to relax and enjoy the DVD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me feedback. I see the hits and kudos, but I want to know how everyone is enjoying this story. 
> 
> For those who have been leaving me feedback, I appreciated it soooooooo much! It made my day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance end their date night with a little bit of loving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just saying, this fic is rated M for a reason. Have some Klance smut :)

“Keith,” Lance moaned against the man’s lips. “Keith… _please_ …”

Keith gasped as the man pulled slightly on his hair. “Please what, Lance?” he asked the Cuban man as he sucked on a weak spot on Lance’s neck that he had found. He allowed one of his hands to travel under Lance’s t-shirt, brushing it over the man’s stomach and relishing in the muscles rippling as Lance shuddered in what he hopes was pleasure.

“I need more,” Lance practically begged as Keith pulled his shirt higher and tucked it just above his collar bone. “Please give me more.”

Keith leaned up and looked into Lance’s blue eyes, panting in pleasure. “You sure about that?”

Lance relaxed his body into the couch as he thought about _how_ they had exactly gotten to this point. He had enjoyed the DVDs of Voltron’s concerts, even singing along with the band as they played his favorite songs and Keith pointing out the songs he had helped them write or written by himself. True to his word, Keith seemed to love cuddling with Lance just as much as Lance enjoyed Keith holding him. By the time they had finished watching the second DVD, Lance was comfortably lying on Keith while the other man had his arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. It had been so easy to turn and lean in to kiss Keith. He had meant to only do it briefly, but one kiss turned into two which turned into five, and so on and so forth.

Eventually Keith had pushed the Cuban man to his back on the couch while he wrecked Lance with his kissing skills. Somewhere in between their making out, Lance had been able to unbutton the man’s dress shirt and it was currently hanging off his shoulders.

“Yes,” he responded after a few moments of silence.

“Alright then,” Keith breathed as he leaned in to kiss Lance before removing himself from the man, causing the father to pout. Keith chuckled at the man. “Don’t worry, I’m not finished with you yet. I just want to change where we do this at. The couch is comfortable and all, but what I have in mind for you will ruin the couch if we continue to make out on it.”

“Oh,” Lance realized as he sat up. “Are we switching to the bedroom then?”

Keith nodded and helped Lance stand from the couch, the younger man’s legs a little shaky at the lack of use as well as the way he was currently feeling because of Keith. Lance allowed Keith to pull him close and immediately connected his lips to Keith’s, the man groaning as Lance slid his tongue into the man’s mouth. “Lance,” Keith panted as Lance trailed a kiss to his neck and pulled Keith’s dress shirt off his shoulders and threw the garment onto the couch.

“ _Sí_?” Lance inquired as he flicked his tongue against the man’s ear lobe, enjoying the small shivers Keith was struggling with as Lance continued his ministrations.

“If you keep doing what you’re doing, we aren’t making it to the bedroom,” Keith replied as he finally pushed Lance’s shirt over his head and threw it carelessly to the ground, finally able to relish in the smooth tanned skin of the Cuban man.

“Not fair,” Lance said with a grin as he yanked Keith’s tank top from his pants. “Yours should be off as well,” he said in a demanding tone.

“Your wish is my command, _bebé_ ,” Keith replied as he did what was told and throwing the garment on top of Lance’s. “Better?”

Lance nodded. “Much,” he replied before pulling Keith close again, slamming their mouths together.

“Jesus Lance,” Keith laughed as he stumbled before grabbing Lance’s hips and pushing the Cuban man against the wall, aligning their lower bodies as they continued to kiss.

“Fuck,” Lance cursed as Keith’s erection pressed against his own, the man rolling their hips together, causing Lance to bite on his bottom lip.

Keith pulled away from Lance’s mouth to reattach it back to his neck, littering it with more kisses as he continued to roll hips and push against Lance.

Lance couldn’t stop the moans that poured from his throat as the man brought him the greatest pleasure he had ever felt. He tangled his fingers into the man’s mullet as the man began sucking on his collar bone while continuing his thrusts. Needing more, Lance wrapped one of his legs around Keith’s hips, allowing their groins to become even closer. Keith brought his hand down between them and fumbled slightly with the zipper of Lance’s khakis, but that was quickly resolved, and he finally brought the metal down and opened them. The moan Lance let out as Keith pushed his way into the Cuban man’s boxers to grasp at the man’s erection almost had him seeing stars as Lance yelled his name.

“L-Lance, I want to taste you.”

“ _Mierda_ ,” Lance moaned. “Yes, please!”

“We have to get to the bedroom. Up!” Keith commanded, grabbing Lance’s hips with both hands once again. The Cuban man understood what the man was implying and wrapped both of his legs around the other man, continuing to moan as Keith pressed a hand against his back while the other held a part of his bottom, keeping Lance’s freed erection trapped between them as he walked.

Keith took his time making his way to the bedroom, enjoying the moans Lance made with each step he took. When he finally reached their destination, he laid the Cuban man down slowly and watched the man as he relaxed against the mattress. Lance was a panting mess and Keith noticed that he could see a small flush of his skin. He held his arms out to Keith with a pout, needing the other man.

Keith flashed a wicked grin as he removed his own jeans and boxers before removing Lance’s pants. After depositing them on the floor, he crawled between Lance’s legs and grabbed ahold of the man’s erection, the Cuban man hissing as Keith worked his magic with one hand while removing his boxers with the other.

“Keith, please…” Lance pleaded as Keith took in the sight of Lance’s face before allowing himself to take in the man’s erection.

“Lance, you are so perfect,” he commented as he squeezed a little harder and gave the Cuban man a good few strokes. Leaning down, he licked the head of Lance’s cock experimentally and gently sucked on it slowly, easing its way into his mouth.

“ _Follando finalmente_ ,” Lance said as the man took him to the hilt, causing him to buck his hips. He stilled immediately. “Oh my God Keith. I am so sorry!” he said frantically, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment.

“Oh no,” Keith said as he released Lance and crawled back on top of the man. He removed Lance’s hands before kissing him softly. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Lance was still blushing. “I’m still sorry. It’s just…it’s been _so_ _long_ , and you make me feel so good.”

“Then don’t be embarrassed. Tell me how good you feel,” Keith said as he thrusted their hips together before sliding back down again, once again taking Lance’s cock into his mouth.

Lance moaned as tangled his finger’s in Keith’s hair again, relaxing his body as Keith continued to take Lance’s cock further and further into his mouth until Lance could feel his cock hit the back of Keith’s throat. “Oh yes,” Lance groaned as he allowed his hips to buck slightly, pulling Keith’s head along.

Keith grinned around Lance’s cock as the Cuban man finally relaxed and did what felt right, taking in as much of Lance as he could with the man’s thrusts. Keith wrapped his hand around his own cock, moaning around Lance’s as he allowed himself to also feel pleasure. He bobbed his head at the same time he fisted his own cock to a pace they could both enjoy and therefore climax together.

It wasn’t long before he felt Lance pull on his hair. “K-Keith! I’m close!” he warned the man as he bucked his hips again. “I’m about to come.”

Keith winked up at the man as he sucked harder on Lance’s cock, unrelenting.

“Keith, y-you don’t have to-” Lance’s mouth dropped as Keith continued to suck him, taking Lance for all he was worth. It took him two more thrusts of his hips before he was coming, releasing himself in Keith’s willing mouth.  

Keith fisted his own cock hard and swallowed around Lance, trying to catch every last drop. When he felt Lance soften from his orgasm, he pushed himself up and tangled his free hand in Lance's hair, pressing their mouths together in a messy kiss that left them both breathless.

Lance wrapped his hand around Keith's as they continued to kiss and fisted his cock, not one to be outdone. He pulled back from Keith's mouth and whispered, “I can taste myself. That’s a first for me.”

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance, bucking his cock in Lance's hand and muffling the cries from his orgasm in Lance's neck as he allowed the Cuban man to bring him to his own completion.

* * *

“ _¡Hijo de puta!_ ” was the first thing Lance yelled that morning when he was awoken by the small amount of sunlight streaming from the curtains.

Keith mumbled before leaning up slightly. “Lance? What’s going on?” he asked sleepily as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Lance grabbed at his hair and tugged it. “I’m still freaking here, that’s what’s going on!”

Keith cocked his head to the side. “Duh,” Keith commented as he maneuvered himself behind Lance and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. “This is nice. I want more snuggles.”

Lance pushed Keith’s arms away and scrambled out of bed, looking for his boxers. “Keith I can’t! You don’t understand!”

“What do you mean Lance?” Keith asked as he finally sat fully up, looking confused as he scratched his head.

“What do you mean what do I mean!?” Lance demanded as he glared at Keith. “What if something happened to Ariel? She could have had a bad dream and I wasn’t able to comfort her when she needed me! What if she swallowed something that she shouldn’t have and my Mamá and Papi had to take her to the hospital and she’s still there? What if she got sick overnight and was wanting me and I wasn’t there for her? What if something happened and they couldn’t reach me because _I wasn’t at home_!” By the end of his rant, Lance was gasping for air. He took a couple of deep breaths before stating, “I have to get home.”

“LANCE, wait,” Keith yelled, bolting out of bed and grabbing Lance around the waist. “First, please calm down.” At the touch, Lance seemed to relax a bit. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist just in case. “Okay, didn’t we put your cell phone on the nightstand over there last night before we went to bed?”

Lance took a glance at the nightstand and, sure enough, his phone was there on charge with one of Keith’s chargers. The Cuban man nodded. “Thought so. Now answer me this. If something _had_ happened, don’t you think your parents would have called you on your cell?” Keith asked in a calm manner.

“Not exac-” Lance paused, biting his lip as he processed Keith’s words. “…Yes.”

“Alrighty, now next question. Is this the first night you’ve ever stayed out while she was with them?” Lance nodded. “And you don’t like being away from home when she is away because of these exact insecurities you just voiced to me?” Keith asked, pulling Lance back to the bed. Again, Lance nodded, looking a little ashamed. “Then _why_ didn’t you tell me?”

Lance crossed his arms. “I didn’t want to seem like the type of parent who wouldn’t let his child go. Besides, you had everything already planned out and did such a great job last night of helping me relax. I didn’t want to ruin the moments we were having.”

Keith heaved a sigh and shook his head with a smile. “Give her a call.”

“ _¿Perdóneme?_ ” Lance murmured in confusion.

“Call Ariel,” Keith repeated as he reached over and grabbed Lance’s cell. “Talk to your daughter. Ask her how she slept last night. Ask her how she is. And most importantly, tell her you miss her.” He placed the cell in the man’s hands before sitting against the headboard and pulling Lance into his lap.

Lance smiled gratefully at Keith as he laid his head on Keith’s chest before calling his parents’ number.

“ _Hola Mamá. ¿Puedo hablar con Ariel?_ ” he asked in Spanish before switching to English for Keith’s benefit. “Hey sweetie!” he said, finally relaxing against Keith as he heard his daughter’s voice. He placed it on speaker so Keith could hear as well. “Did you sleep well?”

“ _I did!_ ” the little girl replied happily. “ _Abuelo is making us huge pancakes Papi! They smell so good!_ ”

“Really? That sounds delicious. _Abuelo_ makes great pancakes,” Lance said as he began running his finger over Keith’s chest.

“ _He also read all of us four bedtimes stories last night._ ”

“I just knew he would, trying to outdo me as always,” Lance said before raising a brow as Keith grabbed his hand. Keith mouthed the word “ticklish” to him. He grinned wickedly at that piece of information and snickered at the glare Keith gave him in return.

“ _You make the better voices and gestures Papi,_ ” she said.

“But of course I do. I’ve had you to practice on, haven’t I?”

“ _You promise to read me one tonight?_ ” she asked.

“Of course,” he replied, sighing happily as Keith intertwined their fingers and brought them to his mouth to kiss them lightly.

“ _I miss you Papi!_ ”

“Oh sweetie I miss you too,” he said as he held back his tears. Keith pulled him closer and pressed a kiss against his forehead.

“ _Are you at home?_ ”

“Nope,” he replied before pausing. How should he respond? “Um, I’m at a friend’s place,” he decided on.

“ _Okay. Well, just remember to feed Enrique when you get home. I don’t want him starving._ ”

“He’ll be fine, I fed him last night before leaving. We can feed him together tonight,” he proposed to his daughter, pleased to hear her happily agree.

“ _Great idea Papi._ ”

“Aren’t I always full of great ideas? Anyways baby girl, I gotta go. But I’ll see you tonight!”

“ _Alright Papi. Don’t work too hard. And I love you!_ ”

“Right back at you kiddo,” Lance said, and after a few more words Lance ended the call, smiling up at Keith.

Keith smiled back. “So who’s Enrique? A Spanish lover I should be worried about?” the man asked jokingly.

“Oh yeah,” Lance said in a teasing tone. “Enrique happens to be my other boyfriend. I keep him in my basement and Ariel and I feed him occasionally when we feel up to it. He’s great when I want to act out my fantasies of being carried by a hot foreign man on a horse.”

Keith’s eyes softened. “Boyfriend huh?” he asked, a cocky smile on his face.

Lance bit his lip and backtracked. “Oh…um…I…” he stumbled.

Keith took pity on him and smiled. “I like it. So I guess I won you over?”

Lance relaxed and kissed Keith. “After last night, what do you think?”

Keith shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure. But seriously, who the hell is Enrique?”

Lance laughed. “Ariel’s hamster,” he replied as he put his cell back on the nightstand.

“Hamster?”

“Yup. She really wanted a cat but seeing as we can’t have them in our apartment, he was the compromise.” He closed his eyes and snuggled against Keith. “I want to thank you.”

“For what?”

“Helping me calm down. Putting up with my crazy.” Lance paused as he thought more into his words. “For pushing and breaking down my walls. For fighting against me and not allowing me to push you away.”

“Ah, I see,” Keith said as he scooted down and pulled Lance to where the Cuban man was straddling him. “Then I will accept your thanks, since I like you here.”

“Oh you do now?” Lance asked with a twisted smile as he wrapped his hands around the man’s cock, that was still out in the open for all to see.

“Fuck,” Keith gasped.

“I bet you like me here even more now, don’tcha buddy?” Lance asked as he pressed open-mouthed kisses against Keith’s chest, grinning with pride as he felt Keith grow harder with his technique.

Unable to form words, Keith nodded as he bucked his hips into Lance’s eager hand.

Lance leaned up and whispered in Keith’s ear, “Well, I guess I should repay you for last night,” before he trailed his mouth down further south.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance makes a decision & Keith spends the day with Lance while he works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am overwhelmed at the traffic for this story! But please, don't forget to leave feedback! Anything helps :)

_***Two Months Later***_

Lance was surprised at the customer who had walked in. “Keith? When did you get back into town?” the Cuban man asked as Keith sat at the counter, leaning over the frame.

“Kiss me please,” the man said with a pout.

Lance couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he did as he was asked, glad that there were no customers in at the time. “There’s your kiss. Now, when did you get back?” he asked again.

Lance couldn’t believe that they had been going out for two months now. TWO MONTHS. Lance had never had a relationship that last longer than a week, so Keith and his persistence had paid off. So far it had been the greatest thing he had ever experienced.

“A few minutes ago,” Keith replied as he sat down in the seat and grabbed a menu.

Lance raised a brow. “And the first thing you do is come here?”

Keith shrugged. “Well, I missed you plus I’m fucking starving. So, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone.”

Lance smiled as he felt his insides flutter. Though they were happy right now, he knew he was still making things hard on Keith. Though they had been dating for two months now, Keith still had yet to be introduced to Ariel, Lance still fearing that their happiness was going to be ripped away once that happened. After their second date, Lance accepted defeat and accepted the fact that Keith was there to stay and fight, but Lance was still afraid of letting Keith into Ariel’s life. Unfortunately, this meant that much of their time together had consisted of late-night calls/texts when Ariel was away or asleep and when Keith came to the diner for lunch while he sometimes watched Lance work while he waited for him to finish so they could have a quick date before Lance had to return home.

Two weeks prior had been a break in that cycle. Keith had spontaneously taken Lance out after work after talking to Hunk and his fiancée Shay about watching Ariel for the night, which the two had agreed on easily since Lance deserved it and Keith had to go on a business trip the following week. Keith had decided to take Lance to a upscale restaurant out of town, but quickly realized that they were both uncomfortable in the environment. The guests seemed to be disturbed by the fact that they were there on a date. Sure, homosexuality was more out there, but people still liked to judge. They both decided to leave before they could even have their main course, Keith deciding to take Lance out to his favorite Chinese take-out restaurant and head back to his place to eat and enjoy a movie. Though Lance had fallen asleep during the movie and opted to sleep on the couch, he was still late the following morning and had to go into work with the same clothes he had left in. Thankfully Hunk had dropped by his place to pick up a spare of clothes, though the man enjoyed embarrassing Lance throughout the entire day for having to do so in the first place.

“I’m sorry,” Lance apologized, breaking out of his thoughts. “You know it’s still not too late to get out of this, you know.”

“Get out of what?” Keith asked around a bite of his cheeseburger, Hunk perfecting it to Keith’s taste. The man had accustomed to Keith’s orders and knew exactly what he wanted after placing his order.

“Us,” Lance said with a gesture between them. “I know I’m not making this easy on you.”

“Lance,” Keith sighed as he grasped the Cuban man’s arm, rubbing soothing circles into the skin. “Please don’t do this again. You’re trying to push me away. You promised you would stop.”

“Keith, I know when we started this it wasn’t what you were expecting to happen. We’ve barely been out on our dates. And during the weekends I have Ariel we only talk on the phone. I know it’s becoming unsatisfying. I should have already introduced you to Ariel, but I’m scared.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Lance, I understand why we are like this right now. Ariel is the most important person in your life. You know I’m willing to give you all of the space you need, as long as I can still call you mine. And besides,” he said, making sure there were no customers before pulling Lance over the counter by his apron, pressing their lips together softly, “doesn’t it make this even more exciting?”

Lance groaned. “ _Mierda_ I miss you.” Because of the business trip they had barely been able to talk on the phone and Lance admitted that he had missed the man’s voice. It calmed him and helped him sleep better at night when they were apart.

Keith grinned. “Then it’s good your parents have Ariel this weekend, so we can have date night again,” the man said as he released Lance and sat back in his seat. “Hopefully we can accomplish the plans I had planned.”

“Is that so? Just remember I have work Saturday as well.”

Keith smirked. “Of course I do. It still won’t stop me from coming to spend the day with you.”

“Huh? You’d get bored. You’re insane.”

“For you, you bet your ass I am,” Keith said as he took another bite of his burger. “Besides, I won’t be bored. I can bring my laptop and get some work done, maybe even write a couple of songs. It’s the band’s day off so what better way to spend my time than be here with you…and Hunk.” He took a drink of his water. “After work, we’ll go get some take-out.”

“Where?” Lance asked, leaning on his elbows on the counter as he listened to Keith.

“Nothing fancy. We see how that turned out the last time. NEVER again.” Lance chuckled at that, making Keith fill with pride at the way he seemed to make the Cuban male feel. “I figured we could go see a movie and get some food afterwards. Then we can go back to my place…” he said before lowering his voice to a more provocative tone, “…you know, to spend the night.”

“That sounds perfect,” Lance answered in a hushed tone, a blush appearing on his cheeks as he smiled at Keith.

“Cool. It’s a date then,” Keith said as he smiled back.

“Papi I’m here!” a little girl announced as soon as the door opened. Keith jumped slightly in his seat as Lance looked over his shoulder and his face became more excited as he saw Ariel enter with Shay. Shay was as beautiful as always. The heavyset woman had dark brown unblemished skin and curly black hair styled in an afro. She had on large rounded golden earrings and the kindest dark eyes Lance had ever seen. She was wearing a yellow sundress that hugged her nicely and one of Hunk’s old school jacket around her shoulders.

“Hey there baby girl,” Lance said as his daughter rounded the counter and jumped into his waiting arms as he smiled at Shay taking a seat at the counter as Hunk came out from the kitchen. “You got here early today. I still have about an hour left to work.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Shay said as Hunk kissed her on the cheek. “We both wanted some fresh air, so we took a little walk and little missy there wanted to watch you work for a little bit before you guys went home.”

“I see,” he said as he set his daughter down and watch her go over to Hunk who helped her get on one of the stools. He glanced to the side to see Keith putting on his jacket that he had taken off before he had begun eating. He turned to the man when he turned back around and asked for the check.

Keith smiled sadly at Lance’s raised brow and gestured toward Ariel. “I’ll give you a call later. We can talk more then.”

Lance nibbled on his lip. He wasn’t ready for Keith to leave. The man had just returned home, and Lance hadn’t seen him in a week. It was bad enough they had the little time they did have, but he wanted just a little bit more. Maybe…

“Shay, why don’t we go play at the park down the street, so we can Lance finish work in silence,” Hunk suggested as he took in the dilemma between Lance and Keith. He had a feeling he knew what his best friend was thinking and figured he would allow the man the time. He knew what it was like to want to spend as much time as possible, especially when they were still trying to work Lance’s issues out.

Shay picked up on what Hunk was suggesting. “I’m so sorry,” she said to them both, avoiding looking at Keith but implying it all the same. “If I had known, I would have suggested that to begin with.”

Ariel shook her head, none the wiser on what the adults were talking about. “I’m too tired. I want to sit here and color while I watch Papi work and then we can go home together and relax the rest of the night.”

Lance frowned as he looked at Keith, who smiled back at him. “It’s fine. I can just go. It’s not a big deal.” The man handed Lance the money for his food, leaving him a generous tip as always.

“N-No,” Lance said as he added the money to the drawer and pocketed his tip. He didn’t want Keith to leave at all yet. It was bad enough Lance hadn’t introduced Ariel to Keith yet, and he didn’t want the man to run off feeling like whenever Ariel was around he was not welcomed. It would be too hard on their relationship, since Ariel was always there. “Please just stay.”

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, what?” he asked, his eyes glancing at Ariel who was smiling at something Hunk had said as she colored on one of the diner’s kids’ menus. He could see Hunk watching them as he conversed with Ariel, winking at them to show he had her handled for the moment.

Lance bit his lip again. “Um…oh, you haven’t had your piece of cheesecake yet!” Lance said as he grabbed the slice from the kitchen window, it being placed there not long after Keith had ordered. It had become a custom that Hunk would prepare a slice of whatever dessert was the special that day that they would share after Keith’s meals.

“You know I don’t need it,” Keith tried to assure him as he looked at Ariel again, thinking about his next comeback. “I really should go before-”

Lance held up a hand. “Please Keith,” Lance said as he placed the piece of cheesecake in front of the man.

“Lance,” Keith was struggling to fight him as Lance grabbed his hands and intertwined their fingers briefly. “What about Ariel?” he asked as he finally sat back down. The last thing Keith wanted was for Lance to bottle himself up again. He had worked hard the past two months to break away at Lance’s walls little by little and wasn’t ready to give up after all that effort.

Lance glance at the side to see Ariel watching them, a small little frown on her face as she looked at Keith, the man unfamiliar to her but seeming to be someone close to him. His little girl was observative and very smart. She knew something was going on between them, but he wasn’t ready to tell her just yet. But there _was_ something else he could do.

Taking a deep breath, Lance gave Keith’s hand a light squeeze before releasing it and turning towards his daughter. “Baby girl, can you come here please?”

She nodded as she jumped from the stool and ran to him. He picked her up when she held out her arms. Settling herself on his hip, she wrapped one arm around his neck as the other grasped the middle of his apron. “What is it Papi?” she asked.

“My love, I want you to meet Papi’s friend,” he answered, pointing a Keith who looked shocked as his eyes lit up before a small smile grew on his lips. “This is Keith. You met him a couple of months ago. Remember?”

She nodded her head as she looked at Keith. “Hi,” Ariel said shyly as she laid her head on Lance’s shoulder.

“H-Hi,” Keith greeted. The man could feel his heart beating rapidly because it was finally happening. This right here was what he was finally waiting for. Lance was lifting the restrictions and letting him in finally. He knew if he messed this up, if Ariel found anything wrong with him, Lance would leave him because Ariel was his world, and _nothing_ would ever come between them. He had learned that over the past two months they had spent together. “I really like your hair. I love the way it is braided. It makes you look like a princess.”

Ariel lifted her head and gave him a huge smile. “Really? Papi makes the best braids and a lot of people say they look difficult to do in the first place.”

Keith nodded. “I bet he does. Maybe I can get Papi to do something with my hair soon. I could use a new makeover,” he commented, glancing at Lance and giving him a smile.

The girl nodded her head excitingly as she squirmed in Lance’s arm, who pecked her on the cheek before setting her back down, letting the little girl run back to Shay and Hunk.

“Now how about that cheesecake?” Lance asked, giving Keith a one-sided grin. He was shocked when Keith walked around from the other side of the counter and pulled him into a hug. Lance melted as he returned the man’s embrace. He could feel his boyfriend shaking slightly.

“Thank you,” Keith whispered against his ear before pulling back and taking his seat again. Lance could tell that Keith seemed to be on the verge of tears at how happy he was that Lance finally took the next step needed.

“Keith, come sit next to me!” Ariel commanded to the empty chair beside her. “With you sitting here, we can both talk to Papi.”

“I think that's a wonderful idea,” Lance agreed as he smiled and leaned over to press a kiss against Ariel's temple, “because Keith has to share his cheesecake with me.”

“Uncle Hunk’s cheesecake?” Ariel asked when Keith sat down beside her.

Keith nodded. “It's the best.”

* * *

Lance glanced at the man with a disapproving look. “Keith, you are insane,” he commented as they nibbled on the ice cream float Hunk had whipped up for them. It was fifteen minutes to six and they were waiting for Lance’s shift to end. Keith had commented he had been craving something cold, and Hunk bless his heart had overheard ( _more likes eavesdropped, good golly my duded,_ Lance thought) and quickly came out with the concoction of ice cream and soda.

“And again, who is still insane enough to actually go out with me?” Keith retorted with an eye roll.

“So, we’re insane together?” Lance huffed with a laugh.

Keith stuck out his tongue at the Cuban man.

“You’re still an idiot who sitting here all day just to spend time with me. I know it’s date night, but you had to be so freaking bored,” Lance commented as he scratched his neck in embarrassment.

“Don’t you know how perfect my day was?” Keith asked the man. “Besides, I got a lot of my shit done, so Shiro can’t bark at me for being behind when we reconvene Monday.” Lance huffed and bit his lip, frowning at Keith. “What’s wrong?”

“Um, nothing,” Lance responded, taking a bite of the ice cream.

“Lance, what did we discuss?” Keith said with a raised brow. “Tell me what it is.”

“It’s just…” Lance took a deep breath. “I’m not one to nag, and by all means I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to control you or anything…” He trailed off with a grimace.

“Is it the way I’m dressed?” the man asked, looking down at his outfit with a frown. He had decided on something simple: a pair of black jeans and a black shirt with the Voltron band name and logo written across. “You don’t like what I’m wearing. I mean, I could go home and change if you’re embarrassed with being seen with me wearing stuff like this…”

“Oh Keith,” Lance said with an affectionate eyeroll. “It has nothing to do with what you’re wearing. I never have complaints about the way you dress. You’re very you. That mullet on the other hand…”

“Thank you? And it’s not a freaking mullet,” Keith responded with a frown. “If it isn’t that, then what is it?”

“Just,” Lance deliberated, “I know Ariel's not here right now. But if I'm letting you into her life, I'd really appreciate it if you won't use words like that around her. She picks up things so easily, and I really want to raise her right by avoiding her from hearing that type of stuff, at least until she is a teenager…”

“Ah.”

Lance winced. “Please don’t take it personally. I know I slip up too, but you seem to do it a lot, especially when you aren’t paying attention to what you are saying.”

“Touché,” Keith said with a smirk. “I apologize, and I will work on it. I’m just not used to being around kids and watching my mouth.” Lance nodded while gnawing on his lip in concern. “I promise I’ll keep learning. Just give me chance?”

Lance chuckled. “I'm not mad Keith. I just-” He trailed off.

“No Lance, please. I'm new to this, okay? I've never really been around kids, unless you count those I didn’t have to actually talk to,” Keith said. “I'll have to learn.”

“Well, good thing you have a very patient boyfriend and expert in this sort of problem that is willing to teach you,” Lance said as he ducked his head.

“I sure do.” Keith smiled and held out another spoonful of ice cream for Lance. “Open up!”

Lance smiled affectionately and opened his mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback is appreciated! Also, come holler at me on my tumblr, under the same name!


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